What? I Can't Hear You Over the SunChips Bag!

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Part of the appeal of any chip or cracker, of course, is that satisfying noisy, crunchy, crispy sound it makes as you bite into it. Apparently, our noise tolerance doesn't extend to the packaging, however.

Earlier this year, SunChips, the whole grain snack chips produced by Frito-Lay (which, in turn, is owned by PepsiCo) changed their packaging from the traditional plastic bags in which most chips are stored, to environmentally friendly bags made completely from plant materials and designed to biodegrade in about 14 weeks. As it turned out, they did more than biodegrade.

Earth-friendly though they are, they were also – as one person described it in a YouTube video, "the loudest material known to man". Actually, that YouTube post was only one of dozens of similar videos. People compared the noise to chainsaws, they used them to freak out babies, they spent several minutes crinkling, crunching, and tearing open bags to demonstrate to anyone who cared to listen just how noisy the new SunChips bags really are. The bags were so noisy, that Frito-Lay actually saw their sales figures drop, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Although they had spent several years designing the new bags, Frito-Lay finally had to give in, although they haven't given up on the environmentally friendly bag completely. Fans of SunChips original flavor will still have to endure the noise, although the other flavors are being packaged in rather more discreet bags.

"Truth be told, our compostable bag sounds a bit different than our other bags," SunChips admitted on their web site. "That's because the plant-based materials used to make our compostable bag have different sound qualities than the materials used to make our other bags. Although our compostable bag is a bit louder, we hope you'll appreciate its environmental benefits."